


Mr. Will Graham's Not-So-Smol Dragon Butler

by xyrilyn



Series: Mr. Will Graham's Not-So-Smol Dragon Butler [1]
Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, An Attempt At Serious Crack, Blood and Gore, Butler AU, Crack, Crack Treated Seriously, Domestic Fluff, Dragon Butler!Hannibal, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, Hannibal Loves Will, Hannibal is Hannibal, Hannibal is a Tease, I Don't Even Know, Implied Sexual Content, Love at First Sight, M/M, Murder Husbands, Not Crack Any More, Serial Killer!Will, Somehow There's Angst, Somehow There's Plot, Somehow There's Romance, Why Did I Write This?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-20
Updated: 2018-06-07
Packaged: 2018-11-16 13:23:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11253828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xyrilyn/pseuds/xyrilyn
Summary: "Ravioli ravioli don't fuck my dragon Hanni."In a twisted turn of events, Will's latest gruesome display of his serial-murderer tendencies in the sacred forest of Wolf Trap lands him an unexpected companion in the form of Hannibal, an ancient dragon.Hannibal, having misread Will's tableau as a courting gift to him, is besotted, and goes through all sorts of hardships to be by Will's side. However, after many (failed) attempts at trying to catch Will's attention, Hannibal ends up having to resort to his final plan: to take on a human appearance and become Will's personal butler, in hopes that one day, Will will finally accept Hannibal as his mate.





	1. I

After rummaging through his bag for a few minutes, Will found the keys to his house and unlocked the front door. Sighing, he deposited his carrier bag on the floor by the couch and threw himself onto his bed, face first into the pillows.  
  
Work at Quantico had been downright stressful. His students had asked him so many questions about his most recent kill as his serial-killer persona. Despite his growing frustration, he had an obligation to fulfil as an educator, so unfortunately, he had to grit his teeth and answer all the questions, no matter how useless and redundant some of them were.  
  
If this was the next generation of profilers and FBI trainees, then Will had nothing to worry about being caught. He was almost disappointed, really. He had expected at least a handful of them to be competent enough to grab his interest. Unfortunately, that had not been the case.  
  
Feeling his stomach rumble, Will pushed himself off the bed with a groan, forcing himself to go over to his kitchen to make himself something to eat. He had a bad habit of not feeding himself properly, and while he was aware that he should try to break this habit, it was hard to break a habit of more than ten years.  
  
Not in the mood for cooking, Will reached for a packet of instant noodles from underneath the kitchen counter. Grabbing a bowl from the drying rack, Will set it on the table and ripped open the packet of noodles, emptying its contents into the bowl. Filling the kettle, he set it to boil and then, he waited. His thoughts began wandering to that of his next victim.  
  
There was a particularly nasty baker in Wolf Trap. He was new to the town and had already conned numerous people of their hard-earned money by serving them sub-standard, almost inedible goods. Will had even found dyed cotton as filling for one of his breads before. He had wanted to gut and splay the baker open on that day itself, but unfortunately Jack had called him in for another murder scene that day.  
  
Three sharp knocks sounded from his door, snapping his attention back to the present.  
  
He was not expecting any visitors. His home was far enough from civilisation that hardly anyone stumbled lost onto his doorstep, asking for directions. Will gave it some thought. He grabbed a small knife from the knife block on the counter and stashed it his pocket - just in case.  
  
He opened the door.  
  
The first thing he saw were the spirals of horns - obsidian black and regal. The next thing he saw were maroon eyes with flecks of crimson swirling in them. Oh, and then there was the scaled tail - there was no way anyone could miss that. Will's blood boiled with anger.  
  
"Will," his unwanted guest said to him in that low, sexy accent that made Will want to smash his head against the wall. Why. Why was this dragon back _again_...?  
  
With a quick twist of his arm, Will reached behind and pulled out the knife, the blade pointed at the dragon's throat.  
  
"Leave, _now_ ," Will spat out the words with as much poison as he could muster. That was his _first_ and _final_ warning.  
  
"Will, _please_."  
  
Lunging towards the dragon, Will let out a growl as he tackled the dragon to the ground. They both ended up sprawling across the ground in a tangle of limbs. Straddling the dragon, Will brought the blade down over the dragon's chest - right over his heart. The dragon stopped him by gripping onto his wrist. It wasn't even _struggling_ against Will. In fact, it looked almost amused.

Will knew his strength could not possibly match up to that of the dragon's - but that did not mean he was not going to _try_.  
  
"Will. Please stop this madness and listen to me."

"No. Get the _fuck_ _off_ my property."  
  
The dragon had been holding back apparently, because a moment after those words left Will's mouth, it wrapped its fingers around Will's neck - strangling him - and rolled them over. Using its tail, it knocked the knife out of Will's hand. The dragon loomed over him.  
  
"Oh, _Will_. If you wanted to spar, you could have just said so," it said, smirking, eyes glinting with mischief. When Will was on the verge of passing out, the dragon released his grip, letting precious, precious air back into his lungs again.  
  
Throat aching, arms shivering, Will tried again to shove the dragon off of him. It refused to budge. "I want _nothing_ to do with you!"  
  
The dragon took a deep breath, closing his eyes and shuddering in pleasure. "Your anger smells delicious..." Its tail began swaying from side to side happily.  
  
"Stop scenting me, you _pervert_!"  
  
The dragon smirked. Leaning down, it ground its hips against Will's. To Will's absolute horror, the dragon was half-hard.  
  
"You _enjoyed_ my gifts. I could tell. I spent so much time and effort crafting each gift for you. Why must you reject me so?" Its tail stopped swinging and fell to the ground with a thud.  
  
"You're not even human!"  
  
It rolled its eyes. "You worry too much about insignificant matters, Will. Why does it matter that I'm a dragon?"

"You act and behave as if you want to fuck the life out of me. Get off of me you fucking rapist of a dragon!"

Hurt - although Hannibal did not show it - he climbed off and let Will crawl away to perceived safety.

"...I have a name, you know," Hannibal said, pouting.

"Fuck off, _Hannibal_."

"I don't understand what I'm doing wrong..." Hannibal wrapped his tail around himself, petting it consolingly.

"One does not confront someone they're interested in and then force them to become their mate by rubbing themselves all over the other person. I don't know how dragon stuff works, but it does _not_ work that way in the human world."

"...How _does_ it work then?" he asked, expression serious.

Will let out a choked noise that sounded like he was crying and laughing at the same time. "Why the fuck should I tell you?!"

"Now, that is just discourteous, Will."

"I have all the right to be _rude_ when you're infringing on my personal space here!"

Hannibal looked up at Will with confused eyes. After several moments of silence between them, he dipped his head in a nod.

"I was _not_ going to rape you. I did not know this was inappropriate in terms of human culture. I... I will take my leave now."

"Please don't ever come back again."

Hannibal watched as Will retreated back into his tiny hovel of a home. Unwilling to let his mate slip through his fingers so easily, Hannibal perched himself on top of a tree nearby and began thinking of another plan - again.

He was not going to give up.

.

.

.

Six months passed. Hannibal had made up his mind.

Will's home was poorly secured - it had taken Hannibal only a single swipe of his claws to break the lock. He had repaired it with his magic afterwards, of course. He understood - from his past interactions with Will - that his beloved did not like others damaging his possessions.

Conjuring an apron for himself, he got to work.

.

.

.

After rummaging through his bag for a few minutes, Will found the keys to his house and unlocked the front door.

Hannibal was mopping the floor. A bucket full of soapy water was hanging off from the tip of his barbed tail.

At the sound of the door opening, Hannibal turned around.

They stared at each other for many long moments.

"..."

"..."

"Welcome home, Will."

Will's bag slipped off his shoulder and fell to the floor.

"...I must be hallucinating, holy fuck-" Will said to himself, rubbing the space between his eyes with his fingers.

"Are you suffering from a headache? Would you like some aspirin?" Hannibal's concerned voice drifted over to him.

Hannibal let go of the mop and against all reason and logic, it remained standing upright in the middle of the room as if held up by some invisible force. The dragon disappeared behind the house - presumably heading to the bathroom - to get Will those aspirin pills. Still reeling from shock, Will decided that remaining where he was while he assessed the situation was his best course of action.

"Here you go, Will," Hannibal said, depositing two white pills in Will's palm. "And here's a glass of water." Hannibal pushed an intricately-carved crystal glass filled with sparkling water into Will's other hand. Will did not want to know the origin of _that_.

Opening his mouth, he threw both pills into his mouth and gulped down the water obediently. Hannibal smiled.

"Is there anything else you'd like me to do?" the dragon asked, head tilted slightly to one side.

Too tired to give any fucks, Will gave Hannibal a list of chores he had meant to do earlier in the week but had not gotten around to doing them yet. To his amazement - and utter befuddlement - the dragon nodded cheerfully and went to work with no questions asked.

"I... I'm going to go to sleep," Will told him.

Hannibal scrunched up his face in confusion. "It's... rather close to dinner-time. Do you want me to postpone making dinner for you?"

Will blinked. Once. Twice. "No, it's okay. Make something for yourself. I'm not very hungry. I just really need the sleep."

He... really didn't want to have to deal with this right now. Sleep beckoned him with every passing moment.

Hannibal's concern was almost palpable. "...Okay. Rest well, Will."

Will hoped so, too.

Stripping his clothes, he left piece after piece of clothing on the floor on his way to the bed. Climbing under the covers, he observed Hannibal retrieving each article of clothing from the floor to deposit them in the laundry hamper. As if feeling the weight of Will's stare on him, Hannibal turned to look at Will. Hannibal smiled warmly at him.

"...Good night, Will."

"Good night, Hannibal."

Will had no nightmares that night.


	2. II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I binged-watched Kobayashi's Dragon Maid. It's adorable - give it a shot if you don't mind watching anime!
> 
> ( This fic will have nothing to do with that series, by the way. )

Will was roused from sleep by a hand gently shaking him awake.

_A human hand._

"Will." Hannibal's voice greeted him. The rest of the world came into focus then - the smell of coffee, the sizzling of what must be bacon in the pan because it had been the only food product left in the fridge if he recalled correctly.

Will made a mental note to buy some groceries and cleaning supplies on his way back from Quantico.

"...I've made breakfast. Stay. I will plate it and bring it over to you."

"Hannibal." Will's words stopped him before he could turn to leave.

"Yes, Will?"

"We need to talk."

.

.

.

Will leaned back against the headboard, sipping his coffee. Hannibal was seated at the foot of the bed, happily chewing - if his swinging tail was any indicator - on long strips of bacon. The dragon was staring at his rifle on the wall.

"I am giving you one chance to explain yourself. Fail to do so convincingly and I will grab my rifle off from the wall and show you just how real it is," Will said.

Hannibal licked his fingers and claws clean before setting the greasy plate aside. He clasped his hands and placed them on his lap.

"I want to be your live-in butler. I did a lot of research these past several months and I think I've gained a better understanding of how the human world works. I am confident I can aid you in your every-day tasks now."

"Forgive me if I'm not inclined to believe you," Will said dryly.

"I am aware," Hannibal replied with an expression of regret. "I cannot undo what I have already done. I am only asking you to give me a chance to make it up to you."

"You can do so by leaving me alo-"

"I _cannot_ do that, Will."

"Why the hell not?"

"... _My magic_ will not allow me to do so. I am obligated by magic to reciprocate the offering you graciously created for me all those months ago."

Unfortunately for poor Will, the only form of reciprocity Hannibal's magic would accept was Will becoming his mate. He knew this for it was what his instincts told him. For obvious reasons, Hannibal kept that particular fact to himself.

"I-It wasn't an offering to you!" Will spluttered.

"Be that as it may, _your_ _tableau_ was the one that awakened me from a decades-long slumber. No one has ever been in your position. The magnitude of this situation is far greater than anything I have ever witnessed. I am as much a slave to this situation as you are." His grave tone of voice must have finally reached Will because now he looked more curious than angry.

"What happens if you fight your magic?"

Hannibal wrapped his tail around himself. He let shoulders slump, making himself appearing smaller than he actually was.

"...If I fight it long enough, I... simply die," Hannibal said, averting his gaze and entirely missing the way Will's eyes had widened at that. "...Are you going to let me die, Will?" he asked, voice soft, looking back into Will's sea foam eyes.

Hannibal could see the cracks in Will's resolve forming. Inwardly, he smirked.

"...I... I don't want you to die... It's just- You and I- We... Our shared history hasn't been that... great," Will admitted with a delightful blush. Hannibal remembered those moments with great fondness. "There is really nothing you can do about it...?"

Hannibal shook his head.

After much deliberation, Will sighed. "Fine. You- You can stay as my... butler, but I want there to be clear boundaries between us." Will said, grimacing. "You are not allowed to intentionally cause me harm in any shape or form. You..." Will trailed off, thinking. "...You are not to interfere with my work. If I need help, I will ask you. You're not allowed to touch me either."

Hannibal could work with that. "In return, I will handle all of the house chores. I will do the grocery shopping as well. Money - human money, in particular - is not a problem for me, so you do not need to pay me. I will cook for you as well - I am very good at-"

"Wait, hold on- I can't let you use your own money to buy groceries for me! I mean, I'm not even paying you..."

Hannibal shook his head, smiling. "I am happy to provide for you, Will."

Will seemed to sense that he was on the losing side of the argument and he caved in. Sighing, he said, "Fine. Just... make sure you feed yourself just as well."

Hannibal grinned, a sharp canine peeking through. "Of course. I am very careful with what I put into my body."

Will looked around the tiny space that was his home. "Do you need a bed...? We'd have to order one..."

"I can create a nest on my own. Do you have room upstairs?"

"I do. But I might need to shift some furniture around..." Will threw a glance at the digital clock by his bed. "It will have to wait until I come back from work."

"Allow me to assist you then. I am sure I can find time to clear the room upstairs," Hannibal quickly offered. "For now... I'll take these-" He picked up the used dishes and cutlery. "-and go clean up the kitchen area."

Hannibal couldn't stop his tail from swaying side to side.

.

.

.

After Will had left for work, Hannibal started on his own work for today.

He could excuse Will for living in isolation. He would not, however, allow Will to continue living in such suffocating conditions like this any longer.

Hannibal pulled out his phone and began calling for professional help. He offered the company three times their normal prices for immediate delivery to ensure that the goods arrived on time. He listed the furniture and appliances he wanted from their catalogue by their inventory code from memory. All of the items he had ordered were supposed to complement what Will already owned - Hannibal knew better than to try and incur Will's wrath by replacing his possessions.

Hanging up, he tossed the phone onto the armchair in the corner of the living room. Stripping the apron, he folded it neatly and placed it on the kitchen counter.

He needed to head into town to grab some hardware and cleaning supplies. The delivery would only arrive in a few hours' time, so he had some time left to do some shopping. He locked up the house with the spare key Will had given him.

Smoothly shifting into his dragon form, he took to the skies.

He landed in a secluded area away from the roads. He could completely hide his tail in his human form, but not his horns. Horns were the mark of a dragon's power, age and nobility - their source of magic. It was an inconvenience, but one he had to live with. The most he could do was shrink them.

Walking into the store, he felt the eyes of humans latching onto him almost instantaneously.

Ignoring the gawking humans, Hannibal grabbed the items he needed from the hardware aisle before making his way to the meats section.

He had to swallow a grimace. He preferred his meat freshly caught - bloody-red and bleeding - but he wasn't sure if he could fit hunting into his schedule today, so he settled for the packaged stuff for now. The stock the store had on display was rather small, but considering the population it served, it was only to be expected.

He cleared all the freshest steaks, chicken and pork. He ignored the older stock - he wasn't _that_ desperate.

The girl at the cashier went slack-jawed and wide-eyed at the amount of meats he'd put into his cart - there was enough to feed two average-sized human families for a few weeks. This amount, however, would only feed him for a few days.

Once back in Will's home, Hannibal started packing the meats into the large freezer in the barn together with the rest of the organs and meat Will had procured somewhere last week. He unloaded the rest of the supplies in the storeroom for now.

The delivery truck arrived when he was moving the sad excuse of a dining table out of the house.

After generously tipping the delivery guys for their speedy and surprisingly friendly service, Hannibal continued magicking the rest of the furniture out until the house was empty. Then came the cleaning process. Arranging the newly-bought furniture and appliances was the complicated part.

He had to bear in mind that Will's preferences and needs were very different from his own... But Hannibal was not one to give up so easily in the face of adversity. In the next few hours, he had everything set up in the way he predicted Will would have liked it.

.

.

.

Will was not pleased.

"Hannibal!"

The dragon waited at the foot of the stairs, listening to the sounds of his mate stomping around upstairs.

"I don't recall telling you to buy any of this!"

"Money isn't an issue-"

"I'm not talking about the money. I'm talking about all of this!"

More footsteps. Will now stood at the top of the stairs, looking down at Hannibal.

"I appreciate what you're doing, but-"

"I can send everything back if you don't like them," Hannibal said.

Will fell silent. He began climbing down the stairs. He ran a finger along Hannibal's horns when he came within reach of them. Hannibal shuddered.

"Sorry. I over-reacted. I-I like them. You know my preferences very well. Disturbingly well, actually," Will said, brows furrowed. "I just don't react to people buying me things very well, that's all. I almost always reject gifts. I grew up poor, you see. I don't like this... _charity_."

"I understand. You don't need to explain yourself, Will. Not to me. And these are not gifts. These are for my use and comfort, too. I will be living here with you, after all."

Will's eyes softened at his words. "Thank you."

Hannibal smiled back. "You are very welcome."

Will coughed then and the moment was broken. "It must have taken you quite some time and effort to get everything sorted out." Neither of them moved away from their current position. Will was still touching his horns. It was a pleasantly distracting sensation. Will had always shown interest in his horns... ever since the first day they met.

"If it is any consolation, half of the items I ordered were for the kitchen... Your kitchen was rather poorly-equipped. We are going to need to magically expand the kitchen to fit everything."

"Not everyone is a chef like you, Hannibal."

"I could teach you. Cooking is an essential life skill."

Will scoffed. "I hardly have the time or the energy for that."

"I do not expect you to cook all the time. Surely there is no harm in just learning how to make a few simple dishes every once in a while?"

Will hummed non-committally. "I'll think about it." Will's fingers found themselves buried in his hair, where the base of his horns began. "How _do_ dragon horns work? I mean..."

"You seem very curious about them. Is there a reason for that?"

"I mean, there isn't much information on dragons... Everyone knows they exist, but... _Very little_ is known about your kind." Will brought his hand back up again, this time, to poke at the sharp ends of his blackened horns.

Hannibal's hand shot up to grasp Will's wrist.

"Will. Despite how they look, they are _very_ sharp."

Hannibal realised how Will's eyes were focused on his hand around his wrist, and remembering what he had promised him earlier in the day, he quickly dropped his hand, as if scalded.

"I apologise."

Will said nothing.

"I'm making pork chops for dinner. Is that agreeable with you?"

"Y-Yeah. That- It's fine. I'll be working. Don't disturb me."

Hannibal stepped a few paces back, letting Will move past him and to the back of the house.

"Do you need assistance? I noticed that you are running low on sedatives. I could put them to sleep using my magic if you want."

Will paused, hovering at the doorway. He answered without turning around.

"That's be great. Thanks. While you're at it, could you hook him up in the barn? He's- erm- in the trunk."

"Of course. The usual bloodletting?"

"Yeah."

"Do you want me to bring out any blades for you? The bone-saw, maybe?"

"Just the bone-saw will do. Thanks."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's your first dose of Tsundere!Will, or Shy!Will. Or whatever. What am I doing with my life.
> 
> Next chapter will feature their first meeting! :D


	3. III

.

.

_._

_Many months ago..._

.

.

.

Hannibal checked his reflection in the pond once more.

Every speck of blood from his horns was gone. They glimmered and shone underneath the sun. Pleased with his work, he turned back to his prey.

"So... Tell me, human. What year is this?"

The human gasped out his response. The sharp smell of urine cut through the air. Hannibal visibly scrunched up his nose in disgust.

"Do you know who I am?"

The human shook his head vigorously, clambering backwards to put more space between them. Silly human.

"I am the dragon who lives in these mountains. No human has dared trespass my land for centuries..."

"I'm s-sorry! I didn't know, I didn't k-know!" The man began sobbing, pleading for his life. Hannibal rolled his eyes.

"What can you tell me... about this man?" With a wave of his hand, Hannibal conjured an image of a human on the surface of the pond. It was that of the beautiful human - with unruly brunette curls and piercing sea foam eyes - who had awakened him from his deep slumber.

The trembling man peered into the pond.

"I-I think he works for the FBI. I've seen- I mean- I read about him in the news and-"

"Who is this FBI?"

"It's not a person. It's- It's an organisation of sorts. They handle really dangerous criminals and all that stuff."

"Fascinating. Thank you for the information... and for your offering of flesh."

Hannibal slashed the man's throat. Blood spurted out in arcs, coating the soil red by his feet. He feasted on the man's flesh like he had with the rest of the humans in his group. There would be nothing left of them to be found.

After washing his face and his claws, he stood up and walked out of the forest.

.

.

.

Will Graham. 34. Single. Criminal profiler and hunter of serial murderers.

Hannibal smiled at the irony of his beloved's chosen profession.

Perched high up in the trees, cloaked in an invisibility spell, Hannibal watched as Will hauled his newest prey across the empty fields. His killing room was the barn, it seemed.

Will Graham killed only those whom he deemed unworthy in his eyes - other murderers, rapists, kidnappers... The list went on and on.

The snap of a twig somewhere below him made him look down.

A stag.

He smirked. _'Perfect'_.

With fluid, graceful movements, Hannibal leapt down and snapped the deer's neck. Throwing the carcass over his shoulders, he began making his way over to the barn, now lit up with lights. Hannibal peered through the gap in the door.

He lifted a hand to knock on the door. Three knocks. It was only the polite thing to do, after all.

The sounds of a buzzing saw from inside the barn stopped. The lock was unlatched and then the door swung open.

Hannibal deposited the carcass of the stag at his mate's feet. Tilting his head, he peered over his beloved's shoulder, to look at the next work of art his beloved mate was creating.

"I love your work." Hannibal smirked. "My name is Hannibal. May I join you?"

.

.

.

Will ended up helping Hannibal skin the stag. His mate was highly proficient at skinning the deer - it only made him wonder how many times he had done this before.

"Thank you for preparing the meat."

"Well... You took the time to hunt for me. It's the least I could offer." Will glanced up at his horns but for a moment. "...Those look real."

"They are."

"You're not human."

"I am not."

"Why are you here?"

"To see you."

"To watch me gut another human being?"

"I indulge in the same past-time as you. It is only natural for those of similar interests to be interested in each others' work, no?"

"What are you?" Will finished gutting the stag. Hannibal helped him lift the stag onto the hook.

"I am a dragon. I live in the mountains of Wolf Trap."

"Really? So... what, this is just your human form?"

"You are correct. My true form is too large to fit in this barn..."

A muffled scream came from one side of the barn. They both turned at the same time. The prey had woken up. A tick of annoyance made it onto his expression. Will noticed this and chuckled.

"So... What do you intend to do with the human?" Hannibal asked.

"I was going to gut him, take his heart and his liver for lunch and dinner tomorrow, and then display the rest in the park in town a few days later."

Hannibal smiled darkly, noting the past tense. "'Was'?"

"I still want the heart and liver. I figured... you wanted some of the remains?"

"How very considerate of you. Can I help with the preparation?"

"Sure."

.

.

.

After stringing up the man's intestines like ornaments on a Christmas Tree in the town park, Hannibal and Will returned home. Will opened the bottle of wine he had gotten just the other day.

"Before you try anything, let me get myself drunk so that we can proceed uninhibited..."

"I will not take advantage of your drunken state, Will."

"I know. You don't seem like the sort who will. This is more for me. Trust me when I say that." Will frowned when he couldn't find the wine glasses. Shrugging, he closed his lips around the opening of the bottle and drank a healthy amount.

"You want some?"

"I have not consumed human alcohol in many years... Yes." Hannibal took the bottle from Will's outstretched hand. He took a small sip of the dark liquid before handing it back to Will.

Leaning against the side of the armchair, Will swirled the the contents of the glass bottle.

"Do you know... I always attract the crazies - psychopaths, serial killers... the _whole spectrum_ ," Will drawled, spreading his arms in an arc as if to emphasise his point. "Now I can say that I've attracted a dragon, too. Go freaking figure."

"Have you had many suitors in the past?"

"You'd be surprised." Will shrugged it off.

A surge in bloodlust. His claws lengthened. "Do you want me to kill them for you?"

Will's eyes widened. Then, he broke down into laughter. "You're the first to have ever said that to me."

"If they are a source of annoyance, I am more than willing to-"

"This won't work, Hannibal..."

Something deep in Hannibal unfurled at the sound of his name falling from Will's lips.

"Why not?"

"You're a dragon. I'm a human."

"It matters little to me that you are human. You are not weak to me, either. I find you very interesting."

"Forgive me for saying this so bluntly... Actually... No, fuck it." A deep breath. "I am not interested in a relationship now."

"Do you not find me interesting?" Hannibal cocked his head to one side, frowning.

"I do. You are very interesting, in fact," Will admitted, eyes roaming all over his form. His stare lingered at his horns. "I just don't think this is sustainable."

"What would you have me do to prove my worth to you?"

Will chuckled. "Oh, I don't know... Move mountains for me?"

"Which ones?"

Will chugged down more wine. "I'm joking. Don't do it."

"I can if it's what you want me to-"

"No, please don't."

"Then why are you turning me away? I do not understand," Hannibal said, brows furrowed. "I can provide for you. I can protect you - I will make sure no harm ever comes to your person-"

"That might work well in getting you another dragon as your partner, but that won't work for me, Hannibal. I can already provide for myself. I can already protect myself. What you're offering isn't appealing enough."

"What do you want then?" Hannibal said. "I will litter corpses at your feet, decimate entire towns and cities, level mountains if it means that you-"

"What?! No no no no!" Will dragged a hand down the side of his face. "That will bring nothing but chaos. Don't."

Hannibal's tail fell with a thump onto the floor.

"...I can be a loyal, faithful companion. We have been walking side-by-side with Death - alone - all this while in the endless dark. You do not need to any longer."

Will gripped the neck of the bottle so tightly that it broke. The coppery smell of blood filled his senses. Will threw the rest of the bottle away. Its contents spilled over the floor.

"Please leave," Will growled out.

"Your empathy - so pure, undiluted and raw - is beautiful to behold."

"Hannibal-"

"I know what you need, Will. I can give it to you. I-"

Will shut him up by pressing his lips over Hannibal's. He broke the kiss with a gasp.

"Shut up! You don't get to come here all dressed up in a fucking three piece and tell me that you're all I ever needed in my life!"

Hannibal returned the kiss with equal fervour, hooking one leg around Will's to roll them over. Straddling Will, he leaned down, stealing as many kisses as he could.

"I could no longer wait in hiding. I had to _see_ you-"

They were a tangle of limbs, groping, clawing at each other---

"You don't _see_ me, not truly-"

"Oh, Will, do you really think so?" Grasping Will's hand - the bloodied one - Hannibal lapped the flowing blood until the wound stopped bleeding. With whispered words of magic, Hannibal healed the cut. "You taste divine, Will," he said right before sharing the taste with Will by kissing him once more.

"Hann- Hannibal!"

"Indulge in me for just one night, Will. I promise you will not regret it."

.

.

.

"Fuuuuuck..." Will wrapped the thread-bare blanket over himself even tighter. "It's too bright..."

"Good morning. Stop acting like you're hungover, Will. We both know you're not."

"Everything's sore... The last time I felt like this was when I hauled that rapist up your mountain, ugh."

"It was a lovely tableau. I enjoyed it very much."

"You watched me set him up?"

" _Oh no_ , I _wish_ I had, but I only witnessed the results of your work, not the process of transformation."

"Get your tail off of me. It's heavy." Will made a weak attempt to try and push it off his chest.

Hannibal climbed off, tail falling off the edge of the bed and dragging across the floor. "Would you like some coffee?" he offered as he began filling up the kettle.

"Dragons drink coffee?" came Will's muffled voice.

"We do. Dragons love coffee, in fact. It has been a while though... I hope humans have better coffee now that several decades have passed..."

Will trudged over to the kitchen, arms full of pillow and face still half-buried in said pillow.

He walked in just in time to see Hannibal breathe fire into his palm. A churning ball of flame hovered in his hand as he used it to heat the kettle.

Will stared at it.

"It's rude to stare, Will."

"Sorry."

"Milk or sugar?"

"Just sugar. Thanks."

Will hovered by the doorway, unsure of what to do with himself. Usually he'd be the one making breakfast, but...

"Do you have somewhere you need to be?" Hannibal asked a few minutes later.

"No. I don't have any lessons today, and unless Jack calls me..." he trailed off when he felt something tickle his feet.

It was something light and soft. When Will glanced down, he noticed that his pillow had a hole in it and the fluff inside was dropping out.

He groaned. "Hannibal... Your horns must have speared a hole through this last night."

"I can fix it for you in just a moment..." Hannibal began pouring the hot water over the grounds in the filter. He passed a mug to Will first when it was ready. Will accepted the coffee, muttering his thanks.

"You understand that this is just a one-time thing, right?" he said before taking a sip. "I don't do relationships."

Hannibal's form tensed - just for a fraction of a moment.

"...Is this a rejection?"

"I'm no good for relationships. I'm not interested in one at the moment either."

Hannibal kept his hands busy by making breakfast for the both of them. Will quietly sipped his coffee.

"Not a rejection, then."

"I'm not saying you can't try, but honestly... Hannibal... I'm really flattered, but," Will stared down into his mug of coffee. "I don't think either of us are cut out for this."

"Where does that leave us?" Hannibal inquired, cracking eggs into the pan.

"I was hoping we could just keep things professional between us. We'd work quite well together, I think."

"Or we could socialize like adults, god forbid we become friendly."

"Didn't you hear me? I don’t like you that way, Hannibal."

"You will."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: a dinner murder date


	4. IV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Relatively short, but detailed description of a murder tableau. Honestly, it's on par or below that of what we have seen in the show, so you guys probably won't even bat an eyelash at it, lol.

The days passed in a monotonous blur. Hannibal was absent the entire time, off doing whatever it was that he usually did.

The next time Jack called him to a crime scene was the first time Will wanted to stab a knife through somebody's head to let off some steam. Everything about the crime scene screamed 'dragon'. How anyone could miss the clues and think otherwise was beyond his own imagination.

The FBI had a separate division for cases involving non-humans. There was no reason at all for Jack's team - and by extension, himself - to be involved. The fact that they _were_ involved right now meant a number of things, all of which was purely speculation, and none of which he could bring himself to care about right now.

When Beverly, Price and Zeller began talking about the impossible claw marks, Will had to excuse himself to take a 'phone call'. He speed dialled Hannibal's number once he was sure he was out of earshot.

A murder of a human by a dragon had not happened in the past fifteen years. The timing coincided with Hannibal's appearance too perfectly. He called Hannibal, just to be sure.

"Hello, Hannibal." Will said into the phone the moment the line connected.

"Good afternoon, Will." Hannibal sounded pleasantly surprised by his call. "I assume you are still working. Is there a reason for your call?"

"We're looking at a man who has been clawed and burnt to death by what looks like a dragon. You wouldn't happen to know anything about it, would you?" The accusation his words held was obvious.

"Will. I'm not the only dragon living in this region. The mountains are my domain, yes, but everything beyond its forest is a free-for-all."

"Are you telling me that _you_ didn't kill him but _another_ dragon did?"

"I trust in your ability to recognise the signs. If you think this was the work of a dragon, then it most likely is. It is not mine, however. I ate my last few prey whole and hid all traces of my hunting."

"I did not need that mental image stuck in my head. Thanks," Will said dryly. "Do you have any idea what kind of dragons roam this region then?"

"I will tell you all about it if you are willing to join me for dinner." Will could practically hear his smirk.

Will pulled the phone away from his face, letting out a string of swear words. Sighing, he said into the phone, "Fine. I'll be busy the entire day tomorrow because Quantico, so how does Thursday sound?"

"Thursday is excellent. I will come pick you up."

"Okay. See you."

"Good bye, Will."

After hanging up, Will spent the next ten minutes figuring out what to tell Jack. In the end, he went for undiluted truth. Needless to say, Jack did not take it well.

"This is the work of a dragon?"

Will nodded. "All the evidence suggests so, yeah. A human couldn't have replicated all of that."

Jack spun on his heel, his next words addressed to the rest of his team. "I would like for the person who _fucked up_ to see me in my office, today. Price, Zeller, prepare a field report for our supernatural counterpart-"

Will knew he was not needed any more. He turned and left the chaos behind, climbed into his car, and left.

.

.

.

Will was dressed in one of his nicer dress shirts with a thick coat thrown on top and a pair of beige-coloured slacks - one he hadn't worn in months. He tried telling himself that it was because of the cold, and not because he knew that Hannibal disliked his plaid shirts.

_Ah_... who was he _kidding_? It was _definitely_ because of Hannibal.

If he wore one of his wrinkly plaid shirts, he'd stick out sorely beside one of his fucking three-piece suits, and that was the last thing Will wanted if Hannibal decided to take him somewhere fancy again after dinner. Knowing Hannibal, and from past dinner experiences with said dragon, Hannibal would almost definitely take him _somewhere_ again.

Will just hoped it was not the spirit realm again. Dear god, he never wanted to go there again. _Everything_ there wanted to take a _bite_ out of him or his soul or both. It was _annoying_. Will would have been gobbled up within minutes if Hannibal hadn't used his influence to fend off the aggressive spirits.

Once, he had asked Hannibal to show him how his influence would affect humans and Hannibal did not disappoint.

The effects were morbidly fascinating. The humans were reduced to drooling, walking sacks of meat in mere seconds. The victims were entirely unconscious, but their outward appearance showed no signs of it. When the influence was removed, they remembered nothing of what had transpired while they were being influenced.

It was a useful ability to have, considering the apex predator that Hannibal was.

Will was sitting on the steps leading up to the porch when Hannibal arrived in a gust of wind, wings spread open and wide. His tail and clawed feet landed heavily on the ground, sending dust and dirt flying into the air from the impact.

In his current form - the one that Will had labelled as the juvenile form - Hannibal stood as tall as his house.

Hannibal laid down on the ground, folding his feet beneath him as Will climbed on. With a strong push off the ground, Hannibal launched them both into the air, wings unfolding in a wide arc behind him.

"Where are we going?"

_'I hope you are in the mood for a chase because our prey for tonight is still alive.'_ The words echoed in his mind, seemingly coming from everywhere all at once. Hannibal's telepathic ability was highly useful, but it was going to take some getting used to.

"Shit. Should I have changed into something else?" Will said. Despite the roaring sound of air rushing past them, Hannibal was somehow still able to hear his words.

_'No. What you are currently dressed in is_ perfect _. Our prey tonight is a serial rapist. The police have never set foot on his doorstep. He hid the evidence of his past-time very well. Tonight, he is dining with a companion in the same restaurant as we are.'_

"I like the sound of where this is going."

_'But of course. It is my duty to woo you, after all.'_

"Most people don't court others by offering murder and death."

_'You and I are not 'most people'.'_

Hannibal had booked a table for them beforehand. The table just so happened to be right beside the table the rapist would be dining at tonight. When Will asked him how he had managed the logistics for this, Hannibal waved off Will's concerns.

"I don't spend _all_ of my time in my dragon form. I quite enjoy living as a human being from time to time." Hannibal took a sip of his wine. "Over the centuries, I've amassed quite the fortune. Wealth coupled with a bit of magic here and there make the logistics laughably simple."

Hannibal ordered for the both of them. Will couldn't even begin to read the Italian on the menu.

"That doesn't explain why you pounced on me that one time when-" Will paused when he noticed the looks he was getting from the neighbouring patrons. He coughed awkwardly, and then spoke in a softer voice. "You know, it was a few days after I first met you."

"You had another creature's scent on you - it was _offensive_."

"Huh. Must be the vampire case..." Will muttered off-handedly. The corner of Hannibal's mouth twitched. "So... you're saying that you lost control on your inner drag-"

Will stopped speaking when he realised that Hannibal tensed up at the mention of losing control.

"S-Sorry. That was rude." Will ducked his head in embarrassment. "That _was_ what happened, right?"

Hannibal nodded stiffly, almost... shy. Will had the distinct feeling that Hannibal was hiding something. He decided to let it slide, for once.

"I find it endearing," Will said, smiling.

"You did _not_ , in that moment," Hannibal said, arching an eyebrow. "If I recall correctly, you vehemently rejected my advances on you - _again_ \- and even threatened to behead me and cut up my remains with your favourite bonesaw."

Will shook his head. "It's not what you did. It's the fact that even someone like you can lose control of yourself at times. I... I don't know- It's... It's strangely fascinating."

The fact that Will enjoyed witnessing Hannibal succumb to his dragon instincts... It said a lot more about Will than anything else. Hannibal looked so conflicted - although none of it showed on his face - that Will decided to have mercy on him by switching the topic.

"So, what did you order for me?"

Hannibal accepted the change in topic. He went into a detailed explanation of the foods he had ordered for the both of them. Will listened, keeping one ear trained on the rapist in the table next to theirs.

Their food arrived beautifully plated and steaming hot. They looked almost too good to eat. Will could see why Hannibal picked this restaurant. They ate quietly, both sensing no need for conversation. Will enjoyed the companionable silence. He had been finishing his wine when the rapist stood up and made to leave.

Will shot Hannibal a look. The other waved a waitress down and handed her his card wordlessly.

His brows shot up in surprise. Hannibal had a credit card to his name. _When? How?_

"You're acting so... _normal_. Well, you're acting more formal than most humans do, but still."

"I am taking measured steps in relearning human culture. Admittedly, progress has been slower than what I'd expected," Hannibal said. "Human customs have changed significantly since the last time I was awake."

"And the first thing you taught yourself was proper etiquette during modern fine dining?" Will said.

"Yes. Fine dining is one of the many pleasures in human life that I partake in. I had to spend quite a number of days getting documents forged to set up the various accounts I needed, but with enough money on the table, it's relatively easy to find humans who are willing to do this."

Will blinked at him.

"Identity forging hasn't changed over the centuries," Hannibal said, almost with a roll of his eyes. "It has just gotten more complicated in this particular era, what with computers and all."

"...You know about computers?"

"I know _of_ them. I haven't the slightest clue on how to operate such a device."

"...You do own a mobile phone, right?"

Hannibal gave Will the look. _Of course_ Hannibal owned one - he did _call Hannibal's number_ earlier today.

"Okay, okay," Will gave Hannibal a placating smile for asking a question with a stupidly obvious answer. "But... most new phones these days are pretty much mini computers. You own a smartphone, don't you? I saw you holding yours earlier. I... I'm surprised, I guess? I mean, you're adapting to all of this very well."

"The primary function of a mobile phone is to act as a portable means of communication, is it not? There was not much I had to teach myself, besides getting used to the convenience of having such a device now."

The waitress returned with Hannibal's card, cutting their conversation short. They left.

"I'm assuming you put a magical trace on the guy."

"I did. He is driving his companion back to her home now. It should take him at least another thirty minutes to make the drive back to his home."

"I see you've studied modern transportation and the local map, too."

"Will." Hannibal had this amazing ability to use his name in a chiding manner that no one else could replicate.

"Sorry," Will said, still grinning.

Hannibal accepted the half-hearted apology anyway. They began walking to a nearby park. There was enough space and privacy for Hannibal to transform there.

"So... What don't you know? Do you know about social media, the Internet?"

" _Will_..."

.

.

.

Pain blossomed from the cut on his forehead, but it was the least of Will's concerns at the moment.

"You didn't even give me... a chance to introduce myself... How rude," Will said, breaths coming in irregular pants. He glanced up at the man's eyes for a brief moment before settling his gaze on the switch-blade in the man's hand instead, watching as the other tightened his grip to the point where his knuckles turned white.

"Dead men need no names," the man said before lunging forward.

Will ducked and dodged the blade.

The man was barely in his late twenties, had a toned body and pretty green eyes. With his hair slicked back, some fine clothes and the right words, Will could easily imagine him charming an innocent teenager into eating out from his hand. He probably had, at some point. Will cringed at the thought.

As he moved to dodge another slash, Will saw an opportunity to attack. With a precise jab to the rapist's throat, the man collapsed to his knees, chest heaving, switch-blade falling to the ground. Will looked around. Spotting a loose brick by the side of the road, he walked over, picked it up, walked back and slammed it into the back of the man's head once, and then twice, for good measure.

Will threw the brick aside before pulling out a handkerchief to dab at his forehead. He paused for a moment to check that the man was dead, then he went inside to look for Hannibal.

He found him in the middle of sedating one of the workers in the household.

"...You look like you're enjoying yourself," Will said as a way of announcing his presence, but Hannibal probably had already sensed him coming. His tail swayed from side to side. The barbs on his tail were coated with blood, Will noticed.

"I am." Hannibal checked to make sure the maid was fully under the influence of his magic before turning to Will. "Did _you_ enjoy yourself?"

Will ducked his head, smiling. "Immensely."

"What do you plan to do with him tonight?" Hannibal turned back to lift the maid onto his shoulder.

"I... was wondering if you could cook. You mentioned you could cook. I've never seen you cook before."

"Late night snack?"

"He _does_ have a _very_ nice kitchen."

"Does he? I have not been there yet."

"You'll like it I think. It depends on how familiar you are with modern cooking appliances, I suppose..."

"I'm sure I can improvise something. Fetch me the cuts you want me to cook with tonight. I'll finish up here soon enough."

.

.

.

In the end, Will went with the back of the shoulders, thighs, kidneys, liver and heart - those went into the cooler box. Cutting off the man's genitals, he stuffed the testicles into the gaping void where his heart had been an hour ago and the penis into the man's mouth. He dismembered the upper body, stringing the arms and torso from the roof of the greenhouse with iron wire such that it looked like his own hands were prying his chest open.

Hannibal had been spoiling Will with all the clean-up that magic could do - it made everything a thousand times simpler. He had expected to feel a sense of freedom, of not having to concern himself with getting rid of evidence, of covering up his tracks... but instead...

...Everything was almost too easy now. There was no challenge in it.

The thrill of the kill was still there - of course - but the challenge of bringing it all together - his kill, his design - was largely absent when you had magic to ease things along the way.

He used the garden hose at the back to clean the mud and blood off his shoes before walking inside.

"It's too easy," Will said as he put the cooler box on the kitchen island. Hannibal was cleaning mushrooms by the sink. His tail was holding a small bottle of oil, drizzling the golden liquid into the pan on the stove.

"Is it?" Hannibal said without turning around.

"It feels like I'm cheating."

"We can do it sans the magic next time, if that is what you prefer."

"Soooo... About other dragons..."

Hannibal wordlessly levitated the meat from the cooler box onto a tray on the island. The meat jumped up on its own and began coating itself in the oils and herbs.

"There are a few other dragons who live in the area. As far as I know, they chose to live amongst humans and are rather non-confrontational."

"When was the last time you spoke to them?"

Hannibal turned to face Will, a bowl of mushroom caps in one hand.

"Decades, I think. The last dragon I spoke to was a young dragonling. She sought apprenticeship from me - that was almost a century ago - and I had accepted, but by the turn of the century, she became something akin to family."

"Dragons have families?"

Hannibal's hands paused in filling the mushroom caps with cheese. His form was tense, his eyes dark.

"Yes. They do."

Sensing that this was a topic Hannibal didn't want to talk about, Will asked him about the other dragons. Hannibal told him everything he knew. He learnt that not all dragons were like Hannibal. Some were incapable of flight - but capable of swimming. Some breathed fire - others breathed shards of ice.

"Not all dragons have to feast on humans. My clan is an exception. Most usually eat whatever meat they can find."

"Why human flesh in particular?"

"It's how members of my clan maintain their power. The distinguishing characteristic of dragons from my clan are black, spiralling horns. There are legends that say that the colour of a dragon's horns reflect their inner soul," Hannibal paused for a moment to see if Will was still listening. "Legends and myths aside, you can actually tell a great deal from just looking at the horns of a dragon."

"Oh? How is this never documented anywhere?"

"There used to be more dragons, back when I was still an adolescent. The world has changed. Knowledge which was supposed to be handed down the generations... simply ceased to be passed down."

Hannibal sounded almost melancholic. For a moment, Will thought about all the possibilities and knowledge that had been lost with the dragons.

"...That's a shame."

"Indeed."

"Do you know any others in your clan? Who- Who are still alive, of course."

Hannibal kept quiet. His hands continued working.

"As far as I know, I am the last of my clan."

Will's guilt from before doubled. He stayed quiet and watched Hannibal work his magic - literally - in the kitchen. More than once, Hannibal opened his mouth and then closed it, as if struggling with what to say.

"I had a younger sister. She died a dragonling. Her horns were but tiny stumps atop her head. She had just started learning how to use her wings. Her name... was Mischa."

"How... did Mischa...?"

"She was murdered. They ripped her away from my arms, killed her and ate her in front of me."

"They forced you, too." Will didn't need to say what they forced him to do. He stepped around the island, moving closer to Hannibal.

Hannibal let out a pained sound, his form tense. His hands continued working, but they moved with a certain lethargy now, all of the energy from before, gone.

Will gently wrapped an arm around Hannibal's waist, while the other hand reached up to stroke one of his horns until Hannibal calmed down.

.

.

.

After dinner, Hannibal cleaned up all the evidence they had left behind in their little killing spree. The gardens out in the back was spacious enough for Hannibal to transform so that's where they went. He shifted into his dragon form and Will climbed on.

"Where to now?"

_'Are you tired?'_

"Quite."

_'In that case, I'll take you straight home.'_

"What if I had said no?"

_'I would have shown you the mountains I spent decades sleeping in. I might have showed you how the sunrise looks like from above the clouds.'_

"Tempting... but home sounds better at the moment. Will you stay for some coffee?"

_'I can hardly say no to a request from you, Will.'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: Their first (couple) argument. Mating season. Oh, and more death.


	5. V

It was bound to happen sooner or later, Will thought.

"I don't understand why you're acting like this, Will."

"Look, Hannibal. I have a job I need to do and Jack is going to have my head if I don't get there in time. Can we just talk about this tonight?"

It sounded like they were having a domestic row. It wasn't that far off the mark, actually, come to think of it.

The argument began with Hannibal needlessly killing a cashier attendant who had been unspeakably rude to Will. She had called him a 'faggot' when Hannibal was more than ten feet away and his back was turned, but unfortunately for her, a dragon's hearing was far superior compared to a human's.

While Will was pissed off by the murder of someone whom he deemed as innocent, what he was more angry about was the _way Hannibal had killed her_. He had waited until she left the building for a quick smoke in the alley before pouncing on her and ripping out her throat, using only magic to disguise himself as a wolf-like creature. Hannibal wanted the blame to be pinned on the local werewolves that hunted in the area, obviously, but it was a cheap and shallow trick nonetheless.

Rumours of a beast killing humans spread through the town like wildfire. The authorities had simply claimed that it was the work of a renowned serial killer, who had resurfaced after years of inactivity. On the surface, the excuse worked, but if one dug deeper, it was easy for anyone to realise that something was off about this.

While it was pretty much an open secret to everyone in law enforcement and public service that non-humans lived side-by-side with humans in plain sight, the authorities tried to keep the public largely unaware about this.

There were laws put in place that both non-humans and humans agreed to abide by in order to preserve peace. One of these laws included no killing of a member of the other race. Whenever such a thing happened, under-the-table negotiation talks would be initiated and the human authorities would try to cover up cases that involved non-humans by disguising it as something else.

It was an all-round shitty system that asked for things to go wrong, in Will's opinion. He could recall dozens of cases where the killers clearly teamed up with non-humans to go around killing their targets because they knew that the case would get caught in the system and they would eventually be given a lighter sentence in exchange for their secrecy on the existence of non-humans.

Shitty laws and practices aside, Will was still pissed off at Hannibal. He couldn't pinpoint the _exact_ reason _why_ he was angry with Hannibal right now - he just was. Insomnia won last night and right now Will's head felt like it was filled with foam.

"I have to go. I'll meet you at the abandoned tree shrine on your mountain once my work is done. Wait for me there."

Hannibal pursed his lips, expression grim. He nodded.

.

.

.

Hours later, Will's anger had mostly dissipated, leaving behind the bitter taste of disappointment instead.

Will found Hannibal standing beneath an old yew tree where the ruins of a small shrine laid.

"I thought you said you could control yourself."

Hannibal opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it and said nothing. He looked away, settling his gaze on the grass by Will's feet.

"Dragon instincts are... difficult to control at times, especially when our... _partner_ is being threatened," Hannibal said, voice soft, in almost a whisper.

Will said nothing in response. He shook his head and sighed. That was as much of an apology he was going to get from Hannibal.

"You- You promised me, damn it. We both can choose who to kill and we both have a say in how it should be done - wasn't that what we agreed on? This... This isn't going to work, Hannibal."

"Will..."

"I know killing is more accepted by dragonkind, but you can't just go around killing anyone in broad daylight _like that!_ "

"I can no more keep my true nature hidden than you can for your empathy, Will. Killing is a part of who I am."

Will crossed his arms and shook his head. "I'm not _just_ talking about the _killing_. I'm talking about _how you did it_."

Hannibal's lips curled in a frown. Will knew then that Hannibal knew what he was referring to.

"It was senseless - mindless - killing. There was no _elegance_ , no _skill_ , involved in her execution at all." Will dragged a hand down the side of his face, suddenly exhausted. "I thought you weren't like the rest."

That comparison snapped Hannibal out of whatever he was thinking. "I _am_ different from the rest. _You know that._ "

"It was careless. _Lazy_ , even. I... I don't know what _triggered_ you into doing that - because I certainly don't believe what you said about partners - but, whatever the reason may be... just know that... I prefer the sins of omission to outright lies."

Maddeningly, Hannibal remained quiet. Will heaved yet another sigh.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" he said.

"I don't think you will be receptive of anything I can tell you."

"An apology would be nice."

"I fear you will grow tired of apologies if I use them too often. Nevertheless... I apologise."

Will sat down beside Hannibal, patting the grass beside him.

"Sit. Tell me about the mountain."

Hannibal hesitated for a moment. He sat down anyway, brows furrowed.

He began speaking. Will closed his eyes, and listened.

.

.

.

The next time it happened was when Will finally decided to break off their arrangement. Hannibal had almost gotten them _caught_. As much as Will enjoyed Hannibal's companionship in their joint killings, Will was not ready to sacrifice his - _their_ \- freedom for this.

It was... fun... while it lasted. He thought he had finally found someone who could understand him, who could stand by his side. Alas, it wasn't sustainable.

To Will's surprise, Hannibal took the news rather well.

"...It's understandable." The sting of rejection crept into Hannibal's words.

Will thought Hannibal seemed angrier with himself, than with Will for rejecting him.

"I had underestimated the effects you would pose on myself. I have only myself to blame for this miscalculation."

Will gave Hannibal a pointed look that said, _'you're still hiding something from me, damn it.'_

"I think... distancing ourselves from each other would be the best course of action to take, don't you agree?" Hannibal proposed.

"...Where will you go?" A feeling of cold, familiar dread settled in the pit of his stomach. Hannibal's words didn't match his body language. He hated seeing this uncertainty in Hannibal.

Hannibal smiled. "Somewhere. Anywhere. Perhaps, I will go to the sea."

"That sounds more like something I would do."

"Your influence is far reaching, Will. You've already changed me, in the short time we've known each other."

"Will you return?" _'To me. To Wolf Trap. To your home in the mountain.'_

"Almost certainly." _'But not necessarily in your lifetime.'_

Will closed his eyes, shutting off his empathy and forcing himself to breathe evenly.

"Good bye, Hannibal," he forced out. The words sounded flat and lifeless, even to his own ears.

Hannibal began walking to the front door, but hesitated when he passed Will, who had moved until he was standing by the fireplace.

Carefully, as if he were approaching a frightened animal, Hannibal stepped closer to Will. Sensing no objection from the other, Hannibal curled his arms around Will, one hand wrapping around the rest on his waist, while the other settled on the junction between his neck and shoulder. Will leaned into the warmth, gingerly lifting his arms to return the embrace.

"I hope you will think of me often, Will, as I will of you."

Will nodded, nuzzling Hannibal's neck. Hannibal did the same, almost unwilling to let go.

They broke apart, eventually. Will was unsure of how much time had passed.

"Good bye, Will."

Hannibal left, closing the rickety door quietly behind him.

Will stood, rooted to the same spot until the warmth on his clothes had long faded and the sky had turned dark.

.

.

.

The next time Will saw Hannibal, three years had passed.

It was entirely fitting that their reunion occurred by pure happenstance.

.

.

.

A knife was in the process of carving the insides of his arm out. Will squirmed from the pain, but refused to make a single noise. His arm would not heal properly if his _admirer_ kept this up.

"Michael."

"Oh, Will. Can't you see what I am trying to achieve here?"

Will glared at him.

"Who shall I bring next?" Michael said as he lined up the glossy photographs on the table for Will to see. Each photograph had a name and an age scribbled onto it in red marker.

They were all _children_. It made Will sick. At least he only took their lives. If Michael did anything else before killing them... Will wasn't sure what he would end up doing to the man once he got himself free from his restraints.

Will's eyes settled on the one child that struck him as the odd one out. Michael smirked.

"Ah... _That one_. Sweet, innocent Clara. She would do _nicely_."

"I didn't choose her," Will said.

"I did. You saw my choice and reflected it. Remember what Lounds said about mirrors?"

It was a phrase that slipped from Will's lips in the heat of an argument when he caught her stalking him one day. Lounds took to it like a hungry hound.

Michael left him alone after that. Will could only imagine what he would do to the poor child once he kidnapped her. The crunch of gravel beneath tires could be heard as the hum of the engine receded into the distance. This was as good an opportunity as any.

Twisting his arms, he brought his hands as close as he could together. With a groan, Will dislocated his thumb, allowing his hand to slip free with just minor bruising. Putting it back in its proper place was equally, if not more, unpleasant, but it had been necessary.

The door took just a single well-placed kick to come falling down. It was too easy - Michael had expected him to break free from his restraints.

He had heard the car leaving the house earlier, but he wasn't sure if the house was entirely empty. Will decided to check, just to be sure, if not to find alternative escape routes. Several non-descript rooms later, it turned out Michael did live alone. Will grabbed a small knife from the wooden block in the kitchen, hid it in his clothes, and waited.

Michael would later find Will standing in the kitchen, looking out the window towards the backyard.

"I have been a bad host. Would you like a drink?"

Will spun around, taking in the sight of a sedated Clara in Michael's arms, and a gun hanging from the man's hip. Michael placed a hand on Clara's neck and squeezed in warning.

"Just water is fine, if you would be so kind." Sarcasm dripped off his words.

"Of course."

He somehow manoeuvred around the small space with a child in one arm and handed Will his glass of water. Will sipped at it warily. When he was done, he put the glass on a table nearby.

"I don't do my work indoors. I have a shed out at the back. Come." Michael pulled off the safety trigger and pointed the barrel down at Will. "If you would be so kind," he said, mimicking Will's tone from earlier. He gestured towards the back door with his gun.

The yard was poorly-maintained, but kept hidden from prying eyes by the trees that surrounded it. The shed Michael mentioned was a storage shed. Inside, the shelves were lined with dust, and the concrete floor uneven and stained. A dirty mattress sat in the corner. The smell of old blood lingered in the stale air. Will curled his lips in disdain.

"I usually keep them here for a while, until the time was right. Then I would return them to their parents."

He did not elaborate on what he kept them here for, and Will did not ask. Will's fingers itched to grab hold of the knife he had tucked away in his clothes.

Michael kept an eye on him the entire time. The moment he set Clara down on the mattress, Will swung his leg low across the ground, making Michael lose his footing.

Shots were fired. One nicked him in the side. A flesh wound. Nothing particularly serious.

They tumbled out of the shed in a mess of kicks and punches, gun dropping somewhere in the tall grass. Will had managed a single stab in Michael's thigh - unfortunately missing the femoral artery - before his hand slipped from the blade. It eventually ended up in the tall grass somewhere, so he went for Michael's throat instead.

The fight carried on. Despite being exhausted from little sleep and food, Will eventually managed to get them into a stalemate. Now, with several paces between them, both men studied one another.

Before any of them could say anything, an ear-splitting roar cut through the air, shocking the both of them. For Will, he was more stunned by the fact that he _recognised_ it.

"Hannibal?"

A blurred shape leapt over the fence from somewhere high in the trees and directly onto Michael. It was Hannibal - in his smaller-than-juvenile dragon form.

The next thing Will knew, blood fountained from a gaping bite wound in Michael's neck. The man collapsed onto the ground. Hannibal continued pushing its jaws and claws into his flesh, pulling, ripping and maiming. He lapped on the blood like it was the sweetest wine.

The crunch of bone in his jaws eventually faded into silent licking, as Hannibal cleaned his claws.

Hannibal hadn't uttered a single word, still.

"...Hannibal?"

Hannibal's eyes were dark and glassy. Almost feral.

Will took a few steps closer and Hannibal immediately turned his head in his direction, eyes focused solely on Will.

He raised his arms in a placating manner. They immediately throbbed with pain and he almost dropped them.

"Why won't you talk to me?" Will gasped out.

Hannibal's eyes were wild as they slid over Will's battered form. Will shivered.

"Hannibal," he tried again.

Before Will could do or say anything more, Hannibal raised his tail and knocked him unconscious with a single, calculated blow to the head.

.

.

.

Will woke up blanketed in warmth and hard scales. Hannibal was curled around him in his juvenile dragon form. When he looked down at his body, Will saw that all his injuries had been healed. One of the many perks of having a dragon friend who was also capable of magic, he supposed.

Hannibal curled his tail tighter around Will when he began moving away.

"Hannibal!"

Hannibal easily lifted Will over to the other side of the nest of furs where the furs were thinner. A freshly mangled human body laid waiting for him atop a human-sized plate. The lack of a sizeable blood pool beneath the corpse told Will that Hannibal must have drained him elsewhere. Of course, these facts were not his concern at the moment. His main concern, was the intention behind all of... this - whatever _this_ was. It took him a few minutes to realise what this was.

Food. This was food. Hannibal was trying to _feed him_.

"No no no, Hannibal..." Will desperately tried to recall what Hannibal had told him about dragon instincts years ago. Was this part of some sort of fucked up tradition that dragons had? What was it he had he said? Something about-

Will's gut shot up to his throat when Hannibal began nuzzling his crotch. He flung himself back into the furs where he had been sleeping. Hannibal growled, and moved closer to him, not giving up in his endeavour to touch and lick Will anywhere and everywhere all at once.

The lack of verbal response, the food, the touching, the killing---

_Mating season._

"Hannibal, please, you need to snap out of it-" Will leapt away, eyes wide, blood pumping through his veins. He shouted, " _Listen to me!_ "

Surprisingly, that did the trick.

Hannibal walked over and lowered his head down to eye level, looking at him almost adoringly with wide, bright eyes.

They stared at each other for a full minute.

"Come. Sit by me. _No touching._ "

Will settled down in the soft furs of the nest again. Hannibal did the same, curling around him. Will gingerly reached out and scratched the softer scales beneath Hannibal's jaw. Hannibal purred.

_A cat. He was behaving like a domesticated house cat---_

Will almost smiled. He continued showering Hannibal with affectionate touches. It seemed to calm him down a lot. This... This was good. This Hannibal he could deal with, not the feral one from last night.

"Can you understand me?"

Hannibal perked up, but otherwise remained silent.

"I guess you can, to some extent... Can you start a fire for me? I need to cook the meat before eating it."

There was no telling how long Hannibal would be in this state. He might as well get comfortable. Hannibal moved away to breathe purple fire into a firepit in the corner of the cave. Pale blue soot rose and disappeared through a shaft over the pit. To Will's utter amazement, the palm leaves in the pit did not burn.

Will watched as Hannibal clawed through the body from before and began shovelling flesh and guts onto the purple fire. The meat sizzled. He magicked some strange-looking herbs onto the meat, wrapped the meat up in more leaves and then let it cook.

Will refrained from commenting and wrapped the furs around him. The cave was rather chilly. He napped for a while until Hannibal woke him to eat. He put the now cooked meat into his mouth, fully expecting it to taste strange, but was pleasantly surprised to find that it tasted pretty good - like roasted chicken. It was only testament to Hannibal's cooking skills, really, despite prevailing circumstances.

Hannibal's tail swung cheerfully from side to side as he watched him eat. Will noted with interest that Hannibal didn't seem interested in eating. Huh.

After finally putting some food in his stomach, Will fell asleep some time later, pulled under by exhaustion.

.

.

.

Will awoke to the sight - and smell - of Hannibal rutting into the furs beside him.

Mating season. _Right_.

He ignored the sounds - and the traitorous twitch of interest coming from his own genitals - and went exploring instead. He was not in the mood for exploring his undiscovered fetishes at the moment. There was a corridor at the back, and so Will walked towards it.

At the very end of the winding corridor was a pool - one used for bathing, he presumed, judging from the sheer size of it and the presence of a warming rock at the side. He only recognised the damned rock because of Hannibal. He vaguely recalled what Hannibal told him about how his scales were best maintained by air drying or... something along those lines.

He stripped his clothes carefully. They were already ripped and torn at some parts from the fight with Michael. There was no need to rip the only articles of clothing he had into pieces.

Walking into the pool was like slipping into a bath of thick honey. This... was _not_ normal water.

"Fuck it. It feels great..."

He began rubbing the dirt off from him, watching as the dirt disintegrated into nothing the moment it flowed into the pool. Will shrugged and attributed it to magic.

By the time he returned, Hannibal was fast asleep. The evidence of his prior activities coated the cavern walls and dripped to the floor. Will walked by it without batting an eyelash and made himself comfortable in the nest of furs. Time was a lost concept to him here, with no windows or anything resembling a clock with which he could tell the time. It was always bright enough for him to see because of the torches that lit up the place. With nothing to occupy his waking hours with, Will laid down and closed his eyes, keeping them closed until he fell asleep.

.

.

.

"Will."

It was Hannibal's voice. Body tensing, Will tried to sit up but two strong arms - human arms - around his waist prevented him from doing so.

"I apologise for dragging you into this. I-"

"Stop. Just, stop. I want to hear none of it."

"I can explain-"

"I don't need explanations. I just want some peace and quiet." Will shuffled closer to Hannibal. He lifted a hand only to reposition Hannibal's arm so that he could lay down more comfortably. What could have been hours, or even minutes, passed in silence.

"Remarkable boy." Hannibal nuzzled his hair, purring.

Will mumbled something incoherent, already half asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: They fall back into their old routine. Things are wrapping themselves up and slowly returning to the beginning where it all started.
> 
> Next next chapter: The end.


	6. VI

The next morning found them sipping coffee in Will's farmhouse in Wolf Trap.

 _'Has it been three years already?'_ A strange burst of emotions filled him and they left him with a sudden sense of loss. He didn't have time to think about it because Hannibal was already talking to him.

"...I see that life has been good to you, Will. I'm glad," Hannibal finished before taking a sip of his coffee. Will had missed the first part of his sentence, but he supposed it didn't really matter.

Will brought his own mug to his lips, drinking the dark-coloured liquid in gulps. He swallowed. "I forgive you." It felt like it was the right thing to say, even though he had no idea what exactly he forgiving Hannibal for.

The answer came to him quickly when he thought about it: _everything_.

"Do you?" Hannibal's voice was even and controlled, eyes dark.

Will nodded, eyes falling closed, flashes of images of an old life filling the space behind his eyelids. "Yes."

A gentle caress against his cheek. Will leaned into it.

"I've missed you, Will..."

Will covered Hannibal's hand with one of his own in reply.

"...But I am afraid I cannot stay this time. I must leave soon."

The note of urgency in his words made Will snap his eyes open to look up at Hannibal. Hannibal tried to move his hand, but Will held on to it. "What's wrong?"

"I have not been idle these past few years. I have been... rather reckless... in my journey. A number of forces are moving to kill me as I speak."

Will dropped his mug - Hannibal caught it with his magic for him in time just before it crashed into the floor. Where the mug was a moment ago was now a clenched fist. Will let out a shaky breath and dropped his hands.

"Dragons have the longest rivalries. I _cannot_ risk you getting caught up in this."

"...What happened? What did you _do_ exactly?"

Hannibal sat down on an armchair, nursing his mug of coffee. He held out Will's mug for him to take. Will did.

"I travelled the world after I left Wolf Trap. I visited the many different places I had lived throughout my life," Hannibal began, averting his gaze to the rows of books Will had in his bookshelves. "I encountered many acquaintances as well. Some of them were not friendly."

"...You killed them."

"Yes. They were _rude_ and had wronged me or my clan in the past. None of them dared challenge me for it, until only recently - one dragon clan did. They seek to end my life, and take out my clan along with me."

"A whole clan... against _you_? Won't you be outnumbered?"

Hannibal smirked behind his mug - Will caught it in the way the dragon's eyes crinkled at the corners. "I have made plans. They are a rather young clan - nowhere near as ancient and noble as mine. They lack experience, though they do make up for it in their numbers. Thankfully, I have the resources and I know the right people for this sort of situation."

Sensing a lull in the conversation, Will gulped down the contents of his mug before picking up both of their mugs to wash them. Hannibal settled for watching Will.

"It is not something as grand or exciting as an all-out war or anything like that. I expect they will attempt assassinations. Killing the last dragon of an ancient clan will put their clan in a bad standing in the community of dragons."

"Why so?"

"Dragons should remain united at all times. Clan rivalries should be kept quiet and settled with minimal bloodshed. Think of it like an unspoken rule of tradition. More often than not, clan disputes among dragon clans are settled via marriage."

"Well, I can certainly understand why that isn't an option in your case." He chuckled. The thought of Hannibal marrying was absurd. He squashed the budding seed jealousy before it could even sprout - jealousy would do them both no good right now. "How did you find out they were after you?"

"They declared war on my clan after I killed their firstborn. They informed me via a letter."

Will dried the mugs and arranged them in a neat row on the counter, beside the cheap coffee machine. Without pause, he crouched down to pull out two glasses and a bottle of whiskey he had stowed away for occasions like this.

"Whiskey?" he offered.

"Alcohol would be nice."

"Why did you kill their firstborn?" Will handed him a glass of the amber liquid.

"He tried to cut off my horns. In dragon culture, it's a vile act, on par with murdering your own guardian dragon. I responded in kind."

"Guardian dragon?"

"The elder dragon who takes care of a younger dragon until they reach adulthood. It can be a parent or a sibling or any other dragon who is not already mentoring a dragonling."

"You were just defending yourself. Why a war?"

"I suspect they have always wanted to lay claim over the treasures my clan possessed. This would be an excellent opportunity for them to do so. While wars are frowned upon, they are a legitimate means of winning wealth and land. I imagine that they thought my clan's wealth was worth the infamy that would come with it. Unfortunately for them, they will soon learn why other wiser clans have not attempted what they are trying to do." Hannibal smirked.

Will shuddered at the momentary surge in bloodlust in those maroon eyes. He finished his two fingers of whiskey and poured himself some more.

"I am coming with you," he said into his whiskey. He made no move to drink it. Instead, he sighed and put it on the counter.

"What- Will, no-"

"Dragons aren't immortal. There are ways to kill your kind..." Will crossed over to his bookshelves in just several steps. He pulled out a thick tome from the bottom of a stack of magazines and journals he still subscribed to. "Tell me this is fake, then." He dropped the book onto Hannibal's lap and crossed his arms.

"...It's not. I can verify its authenticity." Hannibal gave Will a smile. "It is mine, after all."

"I broke into your mountain nest a month after you... left me. I found it on your nest. You left it for me."

"I did. I had hoped you would find it."

"So I could teach myself how to kill supernatural beings?"

"Yes. The thought of having equipped you with at least the knowledge on how to kill such creatures gave me much peace when I was away."

"You didn't _have_ to go."

"I had to. I had no choice."

"You always have a choice - and now you're leaving again."

"I do not have many choices when it comes to ensuring your well-being." Will was not sure if Hannibal was referring to his initial decision of leaving, or his _current_ one. His gut feeling told him it was both, but he did not ask to clarify. "It is only for a short while. I _will_ be back, Will."

Will sighed, dropping the topic. "Fine. What do you want for lunch? I'm driving into town to run some errands, including buying groceries, so if you want anything, make a list."

"I could come with you. The earliest I would need to leave by is tonight. I would like to spend the remaining time I have left with you."

"I don't want a repeat of what happened yesterday."

Will caught how Hannibal froze, the muscles in his neck tensing.

"...Of course."

"Hannibal." _'What were you thinking about that made you tense up like that?'_

"Will."

Ah, it was back to _this_ again. Will didn't miss this.

"We'll get the groceries first and then go pick my dogs up," Will said, watching Hannibal carefully for his reaction.

Hannibal predictably flinched. "Dogs?"

Will smiled, shark-like.

.

.

.

"You keep _pets_ now." Hannibal's lips curled with distaste. He spat the word 'pets' with venom. A few of them sniffed at Hannibal's legs, whining. They must have found his scent strange.

"Fuck you, Hannibal."

Winston the dog barked happily by Will's side.

He had put them into boarding last week before being dragged into a new case by Jack a hundred miles away, and needless to say, every one of Will's dogs was ecstatic to see him again.

_Shit._

He forgot about Jack and the others. Someone would have checked up on him in his motel room and found him missing. They could still be looking for him right now. Will took a moment to imagine the aftermath and laughed.

Hannibal raised an eyebrow as if to ask, _'what's so funny?'_

"It's nothing."

"I don't recall you being the kind to have pets."

"Three years is a _long_ time, Hannibal."

.

.

.

It was as though the past three years did not happen. Hannibal was sitting at his dinner table like he always did. He even single-handedly prepared a three-course meal for them - like he always did.

Will made his decision.

"If you ask me to give my dogs away, I will ask you to leave, so don't waste your breath."

Hannibal nodded as he cut into the steak, head hung low.

"I am not budging on this, Hannibal, so don't try-"

"If I told you I could create a pocket dimension for them where they could roam - safely - in fields of grass under endless sunshine and that you can gain access to this dimension whenever you desired, would you consider letting your dogs play there whenever I am around?"

Will chewed slowly, before reaching for his glass to take a sip of water.

 _'Well played, Hannibal. Well played,'_ he congratulated him from the safety of his own mind.

"I will consider it," he said.

Minutes passed by in silence.

"How has work been?"

Will dropped his fork onto his plate. "Shit." The smug look on Hannibal's face told him that he had expected this reaction.

Pushing himself from the table, he scrambled for the land-line. He dialled Jack's number from memory.

"Crawford speaking." Jack sounded exhausted.

"...Jack."

Will heard the distinct sound of glass breaking on the other side.

"Will?! Where are you-"

"I-I'm fine. Michael kidnapped me-"

"We figured, yeah-"

"-and I managed to knock him unconscious and get away. He broke my phone, and I managed to find help but I-"

"You can tell us the full story tomorrow. In person. For now, where are you, and are you _safe_?"

"I'm okay. Things... are a bit complicated. I will come in tomorrow."

"I look forward to seeing you in my office then. Great work on Michael, by the way." Click. The line went dead.

Will sighed as he put the receiver down. "He knows something is off."

"What will you tell him - the truth?" The sway of Hannibal's tail betrayed his motives.

"You _want_ him to know?"

"I am curious to see how he would react. Yes."

"All of this is a game to you, isn't it. Does anyone other than me know of your existence?"

"Of those who are alive and human, not that I know of," Hannibal said truthfully.

"How reassuring," Will said dryly. He returned to his meal. Hannibal was done with his already.

"If I were to make a public return to the human world, I would probably buy a house in the city for appearances sake and re-establish my practice."

"Practice?"

Hannibal gave an affirmative nod. "I was a consultant of sorts. For premeditated murder and all the logistics involved."

"...Excuse me?!"

"Many centuries ago, I was the chief strategist for-"

"I don't care how sparkly your resume is, Hannibal. Your client base will be - and I can't believe I'm saying this - serial killers, mafia bosses... criminal masterminds!" Will's voice grew louder with each word. "Are you _trying_ to start your own criminal network?"

"Baltimore has the highest occurrences of serial killings and criminal activity in the region - country, even. It would be the perfect place to set up shop, so to speak."

"I work for the _goddamned FBI_ , Hannibal."

"All the better then. I will have access to FBI intelligence," Hannibal replied, too cheerful for Will's liking.

"I am _not_ helping you help criminals, Hannibal."

"But you aren't going to stop me, either, because we both know that I will share whatever information I have with you and this aligns perfectly with your own motives, do they not?"

"So, you're saying that: you lead the innocent and unsuspecting right into the clutches of these people, _and then_ you lead me to them?"

"I will accompany you, if you will allow it, of course."

"You're putting the lives of hundreds of innocent people at stake!"

"They hardly matter in the grand scheme of things."

"Hannibal..." Will said in warning.

"I can pin them against each other, if you'd like?"

"You just want to play god."

Hannibal gave a small smile. "The appeal is there. Would you like to play god with me?"

Will gave him a blank stare.

"It will be therapeutic - cathartic, almost," Hannibal tried again.

"No."

.

.

.

Will went to bed early that night, just a few hours after dinner. Without a word, Hannibal pulled back the covers to join him, an arm thrown across Will's waist, protectively and possessively. He nuzzled his dark curls, breathing deeply.

"I know you don't need the sleep, but I do. Go find something to preoccupy yourself with," came Will's muttered retort as he tried lightly batting away Hannibal's arm. When it didn't budge, he gave up and turned around to face Hannibal.

"It will be a while until I see you again. I wanted to make good use of what little time we have left together."

"You just want to fuck me," Will dead-panned.

"Yes." Hannibal moved to kiss his jaw, slowly trailing down his neck. Will let him.

"I'm not in the mood. I want sleep."

"Okay." Hannibal stopped his ministrations. "I can use my magic on you, if you'd prefer?"

Will considered his offer. "Okay."

"I'll be gone by the time you awake. Good bye, Will."

Just before Will fell asleep, he felt Hannibal press a kiss to his forehead.

True to his word, Hannibal was gone by the time morning came.

Will got up, tended to his dogs, and then went to pour coffee grounds into the coffee machine and let it work its magic. He leaned against the counter, dressed in just a plain shirt and boxers, and listened to the low humming coming from the machine.

When the coffee was ready, he poured himself a mug and settled down in his favourite armchair. On the side table was a thick roll of canvas, with a few post-it notes stuck on top. Will only needed a glance to see that it was Hannibal's usual elegant handwriting. He ignored it for the time being and went back to enjoying his morning dose of caffeine.

Outside, the sun was shining brightly. The world continued turning.

.

.

.

_Many months later..._

.

.

.

Will let out a sharp whistle - his pack came gathering around.

"Sit," he said. On cue, every single one of his dogs obeyed.

He unfurled the canvas and placed it on the ground. Reciting the chant, the markings on the canvas began glowing bright blue. The lines began merging and soon enough, the portal opened. Will peered into it and saw fluffy white clouds drifting across a clear sky.

"Go."

The dogs leapt through the portal with haste, barking and howling happily as the prospect of running around in the sunshine. Once that was done, Will recited the deactivation chant, rolled up the canvas and propped it up in the corner of his living room.

Will had fallen into the routine of opening the portal for his dogs every day now, even though Hannibal wasn't around. He had spent many weekends in that dimension. There were clear streams for him to fish, vast fields for his dogs to play in, and perpetual daylight. He had even begun building a small cabin in that world as a side project. Hannibal had reassured him that the dimension he crafted was entirely self-sustaining, despite all the irregularities that Will had pointed out to him.

Speaking of the dragon...

Hannibal had disappeared again. Every three months, Hannibal would leave and come back a changed person for the first few days. Will had learnt not to take what Hannibal said or did during those few days too seriously.

Will checked the calendar he had hanging on the wall by the door. If his calculations were right, then Hannibal would be returning somewhere this week. He hummed thoughtfully.

He had supplies - food, medical supplies, extra blankets, clothing - stockpiled already. He had an emergency leave letter crafted already, too, just in case he needed to take this week off.

As he had nothing else to do - the chores were done, the dogs had been let out to play, no news from Jack - Will grabbed a book and settled down to read.

.

.

.

Later that week, Hannibal made a brief reappearance. Will ignored his nonsensical ramblings, his pleading, his whimpers. It was still the first day after all. The dragon collapsed in a heap on his doorstep. Will brought out the medical supplies to tend to his wounds.

On the second day, Hannibal left the carcass of a wolf at his door. Will stared at it. Hannibal was nowhere to be found. He gave the wolf a proper burial in the forest.

Nothing happened on the third and fourth day - much to Will's concern. Hannibal would usually have been back by now. The last time this had happened, Will ended up with two decomposing human corpses to deal with, but sometimes this also meant that Hannibal was recuperating elsewhere. There was no apparent pattern to it - it could go either way. He switched on the local news - nothing. He mentally steeled himself for tomorrow.

On the fifth evening, Hannibal pounced him. Will pulled a knife on him. This was oddly familiar. He remembered then that he had reacted like this towards Hannibal once before. It seemed like so long ago.

The next day, he came home to an apron-clad Hannibal wielding a mop and began seriously contemplating how his life came to this point and why he hadn't done anything to stop it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: The end.


	7. VII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the only warning for this chapter: brief discussion of suicide

"Let's try an experiment," Will said over breakfast one morning. Hannibal looked up from his own breakfast, curious.

"I am always open to discovering new things. It's what makes life interesting. What do you propose?"

"I don't like being on the receiving end all the time."

"There's no need for you to even ask, Will. I am open to switching roles, if... that is indeed what you're asking." Hannibal tilted his head off to one side, giving Will an inquisitive look.

Will cut into his sausage, bringing a piece to his mouth and chewed it slowly. He swallowed. "You... would be fine being the...?" he trailed off.

"Yes, I am. I would be perfectly content with any role you wish for me to play."

"But you don't think you _should_ play the role that I _want_ you to play."

Hannibal shook his head. "I know you, Will. That isn't what you want." He put down his cutlery, folding his hands neatly.

While Will was glad for the connections the both of them made whenever they conversed because it made things so much simpler when both parties could make the logical jumps almost instinctively, it was during occasions like this - when one of them was _unsure_ and skirting around the issue - that made things awfully difficult. His empathy told him that Hannibal was uncertain about something, but he couldn't tell what it was that Hannibal was so unsure about. He thought he could try to coax the truth from him, but it turned out Hannibal knew just exactly what to say to get around his questions all the time.

"Could we... give it a try?"

Will was not accustomed to playing the role of psychiatrist. He didn't like it - especially when Hannibal was his patient.

"Will. I would, if that is what you ask of me, but please believe me when I say you won't find pleasure in it. Neither one of us falls neatly into categories that society has defined. We are better off being who we simply are. Nothing you do repulses me, Will. I can, and will, offer you unconditional acceptance. I enjoy going through the process of courting you. And I know that being of the receiving side pleases you immensely. I don't expect anything in return, Will. Now, do you still want me to stop?"

Will didn't really believe that bit about not expecting anything in return. And _that_ was the core issue behind this whole discussion.

"I see. So, you won't mind switching in bed, then?" Will said.

Hannibal arched an eyebrow at the sudden change in subject. "Of course not..."

Will could almost hear the question mark tagged at the end of that sentence. He chose not to acknowledge it. Instead, he leaned back and studied Hannibal for a few long moments. He tore his gaze away only to look back down at his coffee. "...Yeah, I think you're right. It would be weird to see you acting like that. You wouldn't be... _you,_ " Will said into his mug before gulping down some hot coffee.

"May I ask what brought this topic up?" Hannibal said, his tone wary.

No, Hannibal wasn't referring to sex. Will hadn't been referring to it either - at least, not at the beginning. Will had always known Hannibal would go with whatever he wanted, much to their shared pleasure. The subject of conversation they were about to dive into was probably going to be even more intimate than that.

They were going to have their first relationship talk. Like normal couples. Will inwardly laughed at the thought.

Will stared at Hannibal over the rim of his coffee mug. Putting it down, he licked his lips. "What are we?"

"We are simply two individuals who have found companionship in one another." _That_ sounded way too rehearsed.

"What is all of this, then?" Will made a vague, sweeping gesture with his free hand.

"An attempt to gauge just how conjoined we are."

"You could just say we're both trying to find our way around each other."

"You didn't say I'm wrong."

"Because you're not."

The kitchen was silent. Will's sigh broke it.

"What are we doing?" Will facepalmed.

"I wish I could give you an honest answer, Will."

"Well, it's nice to know that I'm not the only one confused as hell here."

"Do you recall what I first said to you when we first met?"

Will rolled his eyes. "Of course. You laid a dead stag at my feet and said that you loved my work. You proposed a relationship - I was reluctant. Then, you threatened to level mountains and dry up the oceans if it meant proving your strength to me."

"I would still do it for you."

"I know you would. So why all this uncertainty now?"

Will stared long and hard back at Hannibal. Hannibal met his gaze unflinchingly, but said nothing. That usually meant he didn't have an answer prepared. Will wasn't sure what worried him more: the fact that Hannibal was unsure about something in their relationship, or that Hannibal was not prepared to answer a question.

"When I first met you, you were trying to woo me into a relationship with you. Somewhere along the way, we ended up together - _sort of_ \- but soon after that, your erratic behaviours began worsening. _Then_ , you disappeared for three plus years. And finally... here we are. I dare you to tell me these events are not in the slightest bit related."

"They are. Related, I mean."

"I waited for you, Hannibal. Every single damned day. Every morning, I would wake up half-expecting you at my door - in my kitchen, cooking - something!" Will threw his hands up for a moment in a dramatic show, before dropping them onto his lap again. "I thought you would come back. To make amends, to apologise, to snap my neck- I- I don't know, okay? I didn't actually think you would _abandon_ me. I went looking for you on some days. Then, there were the days where I convinced myself that you _had_ given up on me."

The only thing that kept Will from continuing was Hannibal's overflowing sadness and guilt. Will could see it in the way he tensed up, his lips pursed, teeth clenched, eyes narrowed in that particular way when he was sad. He was being uncharacteristically silent.

"I would have done things differently, Will, if I could," he whispered.

Sensing the end of their conversation, Will turned his thoughts to the state of the kitchen, instead. Hannibal being Hannibal, he probably already began preparation for lunch and dinner.

"So... what's for lunch?"

"Who," Hannibal corrected.

" _Who's_ for lunch, then?"

"A particularly rude banker."

"What were you doing at the _bank_ anyway?"

.

.

.

Later that night, Will asked Hannibal to come to bed with him. Against all logical reasoning, _Hannibal turned him down_. When asked why, Hannibal skilfully manoeuvred around the topic.

Will let this slide for the first couple of days. After that, when it was obvious Hannibal would turn him down again and again, no matter how many times Will asked him, Will joined Hannibal in _his_ nest upstairs instead.

"I don't fucking get you," Will said, grumbling into Hannibal's fluffy pillows.

"Will, you are arguably the singular person in the world who is capable of understanding me."

"That's only when you're sure of yourself. Not when you're all indecisive like this."

Hannibal said nothing in response to that. Again.

Will fell asleep, listening to all the words that were not being said.

.

.

.

"Introspection. I did a lot of that today while I was at work," Will announced the moment he stepped through his front door. He left his briefcase by the armchair.

Hannibal peaked over the doorway from the adjoining room. He ducked out of sight a split second later. "Was work _that_ boring? What revelations have you uncovered then, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I don't mind. It's mostly about you after all," Will said as he entered the kitchen. When Hannibal said nothing, Will continued, "I know you won't tell me the truth. I've been trying to figure out why. All I can come up with is that you're concerned about my reaction to it, you partially hate the truth yourself or at least dislike it, or both."

Hannibal plated the fried fish, wiped his hands clean and then turned around. "I see no reason to disrupt the status quo."

"I didn't think you were one to fall so easily into a state of complacency."

"I have learnt to better manage my episodes. We will not have a repeat of _that_ incident, Will."

"Three years, give or take, wasn't long enough for you?"

"Those years felt impossibly longer - longer than any period of time I have spent living on my own. In a perfect world, I would never have left you."

"I can't read your mind, Hannibal. _Help me understand_. _Please_."

Hannibal took deep breaths. Will could see the tension flowing out from his body with every breath. "Shall we have this conversation after dinner? I'm afraid it will not be a short one, and I'd rather not let this fish go to waste."

"Okay."

Dinner went by quickly with no conversation filling the void between them. Will helped by collecting the used dishes and cutlery and washing them while Hannibal hand dried them.

They each sat down in the living room with their preferred choice of alcohol. They sat across from each other. The room was quiet, save for their breathing. The dogs weren't around, still playing around in the sun in a world far away. Will would bring them back through portal afterwards, after they were done with... this. He supposed this was their equivalent of a couple's talk. They were long overdue for one.

A couple. That's what they were, in a way. It was strange to think of them as a unit, but in many ways, it was the only label that made sense. It was the closest thing that he could label themselves with.

"I care about you. Very much," Hannibal began, looking at him straight in the eye. "It is inconvenient, having such feelings towards another. I generally do not care about the well-being of others beyond what is necessary for my own agenda. The only other person I've felt this way for was Mischa. But of course, I didn't think of it as inconvenient then. It was natural - like it was the only right thing to do. Your case is no different from hers."

"How long?"

"Since I first discovered you. I was living an empty existence after Mischa was ripped away from me so cruelly. The bond between a guardian and their charge is a deep and strong one. When formed, both guardian and charge are connected in mind, body and soul. Most bonds dissolve gradually when either one party dies a natural death, but when that is not the case, the broken bond becomes a bleeding wound that one carries for the rest of their life."

Hannibal stood up, glass of wine abandoned on the side table. Will watched silently as he walked over to the fireplace.

"Sometimes I still hear her calling out to me, in my mind. I hear her voice - so real, and soft - like a whisper to my ear."

Hannibal paused to regard Will. Then, he looked out the window.

"We do not choose whom we form bonds with. Bonds are a two-way connection. Only when both sides accept the bond, will said bond be formed. Not all bonds are formed equal."

"Do we have a bond then?" Will said, standing up to move closer to Hannibal, making sure to keep a careful distance - Hannibal needed the space now.

"By definition, no. Not yet, at least. The bond is there, but it is incomplete."

"Why?"

"Because one of us hasn't accepted the bond yet."

The silence fell heavy over two men in the room, like a thick blanket smothering them. Will found himself speechless. Hannibal waited until he was ready.

"The bond is formed through acceptance - pure and undiluted. The true nature of any bond is unknown to all those involved until it is actually formed."

"You're scared."

"In this present moment... yes, I am."

"Hannibal." Will gently touched his arm. When he refused to look at him, Will reached up to take his face into his hands. His fingers caressed his face gently. "I love you."

Hannibal let his eyes fall closed. "I know you do," he breathed. He paused. "I love you, too."

Will sucked in a harsh breath, heart skipping a beat.

"And that is what makes this so painful, for the both of us." Hannibal reopened his eyes. They glistened beneath the dim light coming from the lamp in the corner.

Will searched his eyes. Hours could have passed between them and Will would not have noticed. " _You're_ rejecting the bond..." That revelation shook him down to his very core. He hadn't anticipated any of this.

Hannibal reached for one of Will's hands, pressing a kiss into his palm.

Will continued, the words falling from his lips non-stop - he couldn't stop even if he wanted to. "You were curious about the bond. You sought me out because you wanted to see what would happen. You wanted to see if you could make me accept it - _to fall in love with you_. You didn't think the bond would be so strong. You didn't expect to fall so in love _with me_."

Hannibal said nothing. Will persevered onward.

"All these years - those disappearing acts - you- you were searching for a way to break it off. You almost always lose yourself when you go away for too long, so you always end up coming back."

Will dropped his hands and leaned forward, resting his head against Hannibal's chest.

"You're the only one experiencing all these side effects. I don't feel anything. This has something to do with magic - _my lack of it_."

Hannibal wrapped his arms around him. Will curled in further, pressing his cheek to the other's chest.

"You refuse to accept the bond because the outcome is bad. Something horrible will happen to either one of us. Me. It will happen to me, won't it?" When Will finished, Hannibal hugged him tighter.

" _Brilliant boy_ ," Hannibal murmured, equal amounts of pride and sorrow bleeding from the cracks in his voice. His hand began stroking Will's hair. "Bonds are based in magic. The fact that my magic chose you, and that you somehow chose me, is inconceivable on its own - it is simply not possible, yet, it is. You don't possess magic - we both know that. Most humans are not born with the capacity for it. Forming a bond will surely kill you."

"You don't know that. The fact that you feel a bond towards me in the first place is impossible for a non-magic user like me, is it not?" Will argued, leaning back just enough so he could look into Hannibal's maroon eyes. "Maybe... I won't die."

"This is _not_ a gamble I want to make. The odds are not in your favour."

"If you don't do it, _you die_."

Hannibal closed his eyes. "My magic will snuff itself out." He let out a humourless chuckle. "It is only fitting. I brought this upon myself, after all."

"How... fast are you dying? Do- Do we have much time?"

Will hadn't realised he was trembling until Hannibal held him tighter as he answered, "I will possibly perish in about a decade or so, assuming zero intervention. The process accelerates the further I am away from you. There are only so many things I can do to slow the erosion of my own magic."

"What happens when your magic erodes? Aren't you... mostly magic? Doesn't that mean- Oh..."

"With an imagination as vivid as yours, I'm sure you can do a better job at imagining the aftermath than I can."

" _I don't want you to die-_ "

"I know-"

"You can't _fucking leave me like this_ , you bastard-"

"Will-"

"All these years- You- Why didn't you say anything?!"

"Some things in life are inevitable. No point in worrying about something that you cannot change."

"Better to have loved, than to not have loved at all?"

Will couldn't help but think back to all the time they wasted, all the moments they shared.

"Don't become all sentimental on me now, Will," Hannibal teased, smiling.

"Aren't you scared of dying?"

"No. I have lived long enough in this world. I have long made peace with death. I am, however, scared of the thought of you being alone here. I would like for you to live on, but I know that there's a good chance you won't."

Hannibal was right - Will wouldn't. He couldn't. Life before Hannibal... felt lifeless and empty by comparison. Will knew he would be able to go on - to trudge on in this meaningless path of life, alone - but would he _want_ to? What would be the point of it all?

He hadn't known companionship was possible until the one person who could give it to him appeared in his life. Now, Will wanted to latch on to it and never let go. _He didn't want Hannibal to go._

"Let me ask you again, Will. If I were to somehow perish, would you continue living on?" Hannibal's stoic mask gave nothing away.

The answer came to him immediately. "If you die, I will kill myself," Will said.

Hannibal seemed almost disappointed. Perhaps, he had hoped otherwise? "Suicide is always the enemy, Will."

"What's the alternative, then? I damn myself to a remaining lifetime of suffering and utter meaninglessness? No thank you, I'd rather choose death."

"If you still insist on suicide, Will, can I ask that you promise you will tell me first? I would prefer to be there. If our journey through the forest of life must come to an abrupt end like this, I would like to at least end it together."

"Joint suicide."

"...If you must give it a label, yes."

"I don't know if I have what it takes to end it."

"If you would grant me the honour of doing it on your behalf, I would be eternally grateful, Will. I would honour you in every way possible."

Will smiled. He shouldn't be smiling, damn it. They were discussing suicide for crying out loud. "Of course."

Hannibal led them both to the armchair in the corner. He fell backwards onto it, pulling Will on top of him.

"Unfortunately, before we can proceed to discussing your theoretical suicide, there is one, final option I would like to propose to you, seeing your reaffirmed disinterest in living in a world where I no longer exist."

Legs straddling Hannibal's thighs, Will readjusted himself until he could reach his glass of whiskey he had left on the side table. He downed it all in one go, letting the glass drop to the floor.

"Okay. Lay it all on me," Will said through the burn of the whiskey down his throat.

"There is one other unexplored option," Hannibal began. "One that might result in both of us surviving this." Will's heart gave an almost painful lurch.

"...W-What is it?" He was almost afraid of what it would be.

"Would you... be opposed to becoming a wendigo?" Hannibal said, carefully resting both hands on Will's waist, almost as if to hold him in place, to stop him from getting up and bolting out the door.

"A mythical creature that feasts on human flesh...?" Hope - like a small, flickering flame - burned within him.

"A wendigo is one of the few _magical_ creatures that originated from human kind. Through the deliberate feeding of human flesh, any human can transform into one. Wendigos are only rare because many humans do not survive the entire process of the transformation. With my magic aiding you, I am confident you will survive."

That same flame then grew into a raging inferno - the relief that washed over him made him dizzy. Hannibal held him steady when he almost fell from the chair. "Why- Why didn't you say this _earlier_?!"

Hannibal was genuinely surprised. "Being a wendigo means feeding on _human flesh_. Someone will have to die every day to sate your hunger, Will. You will have to feed on human flesh even more often than _I_ do. I can supplement my diet with meat from various animals. I may be weak from not feeding on human flesh, but I will still survive. You don't get that luxury. There won't always be a criminal for you to kill, either."

Oh. He could see why Hannibal would think he wouldn't go with this option. Hannibal mustn't have realised just how much he had changed Will. While Will still didn't like the idea of killing innocents, he hated the idea of losing Hannibal even more.

Fuck it. _Fuck it all_. People died all the time, anyway.

"This. _I want this_. You've been feeding me human flesh for a while now, why didn't that do the trick?"

At the mention of Hannibal feeding him, Will swore he saw those maroon eyes shine red for a split second. Hannibal tightened his grip marginally. Will wondered what image Hannibal saw in his mind's eye. "You have to eat _only_ human flesh - and large amounts of it - for a prolonged period of time."

"Okay."

"The physical transformation will be painful-"

"Noted."

"-your instincts will become more animalistic in nature. Losing control can happen-"

"You'd like that, wouldn't you," Will said with a coy smile. Hannibal gave him a mildly lustful look, but did not comment.

"-and then, of course, there's the magic. You've never wielded magic before. It will take some getting used to."

"You'll be there to guide me, won't you?" Will was keenly aware of just how much Hannibal liked being Will's mentor and guide, and so he allowed himself to be guided, for once. He tilted his head slightly to one side, letting his hair fall over his eyes in that exact way he knew that Hannibal liked.

Hannibal seemed to be at a loss for words, and so he merely nodded.

"So... my becoming a wendigo would mean that we can complete the bond. Safely. You won't die on me if we do that, right...?"

"No, I won't."

"You should have fucking told me this _earlier!_ " That outburst startled Hannibal. Will took as much delight as he could from that expression on Hannibal's face before the other quickly adapted to it.

"But how would I have coaxed such precious words from you otherwise?" Hannibal teased back, smirking.

Will was suddenly reminded of their confessions of love and how he had declared he would choose death over life if Hannibal died. His traitorous heart gave another lurch. He had to remind himself to be angry, but he couldn't find the words, and so he settled for a frustrated huff instead.

"I apologise," Hannibal began, his tone serious as he slowly ran his hands up and down Will's sides. "I was worried about how you would react to my suggestion. I had thought it would be extremely difficult to persuade you to eat only people for the rest of our lives, but it turns out I am wrong."

Will's mind caught at the phrase 'for the rest of our lives' and stuttered to a stop. He immediately blushed. He coughed awkwardly, turning his head to one side and trying to hide his blush.

"I don't like it. Because of the innocent lives that I might end up killing... But I hate the idea of losing you even more," Will admitted, his voice growing softer towards the end. "As for the eating people part, I'm sure I'll be conditioned into liking it... _eventually_."

"I do know _a lot_ of recipes that use human ingredients. I would like to show them to you."

Will laughed. "I expected nothing less. Haven't you already, though? Or have you been holding back all this while?"

"I have... refrained from using certain kinds of ingredients in my cooking, yes."

"Like what?"

"Have you eaten human brain before?"

"I... can't say I have. Any sort of brain, actually."

"You're in for a treat, then."

"Are we having it for dinner?"

"Unfortunately not tonight. Perhaps tomorrow."

Will's hands began playing with the hem of Hannibal's shirt. Hannibal looked at him, eyebrow raised as if asking: _'Are we really doing this now?'_

Will gave a weak shrug. _'Anything you want.'_

Hannibal let out an amused chuckle. Strong arms wrapped around Will, before Hannibal stood up, lifting him from the chair.

"Tomorrow then. Before you head off to work. I know you have a growing fondness for morning sex and I intend to leverage on that."

Will groaned. Hannibal ran his hand through Will's curls in reply.

He brought Will to his nest of pillows upstairs. He draped a thick blanket over Will as Will quietly watched him. He stripped, folded his clothes into a neat pile, transformed into his smaller dragon form and then curled up around Will from behind. His tail wrapping itself around Will's thigh and calf instinctively.

"...Good night, Hannibal."

_'Good night, Will.'_

The words filtered through Will's own thoughts, warm and loving. He closed his eyes, listening to the sound of Hannibal's soft breathing, and feeling the rise and fall of his chest that was pressed up against his own back.

Just before Will fell asleep, a soft whisper drifted into his mind:

_'I'll be here when you wake up. Tomorrow, and every day after.'_

He smiled.

Will had no nightmares that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was a random thing I decided to do to get myself back into writing. In some other alternate reality, this story may have been longer and more fleshed out, but in this reality, this is the end.
> 
> Thank you for reading! I hope to see all of you next time in whatever stories I write <3

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know what this is, but if you enjoyed it, then great! <3
> 
>  
> 
> [My Twitter | Writing Updates](https://twitter.com/xyrilyn)


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